HIV and Housing report
HIV & Housing report
Date: 24 February 2010
A report published by the National AIDS Trust (NAT), reveals
evidence of poor housing conditions for people living with
HIV. HIV
and Housing finds people living with HIV are struggling to
cope with the impact of poor housing. The majority of housing
professionals have little understanding of HIV and remain unaware
of the effect poor housing conditions can have on their lives.
Useful recommendations to come out of the report are:
- Local authorities should always consider awarding people living
with HIV priority for social housing on medical grounds, on the
basis of a comprehensive needs assessment, bearing in mind the
importance of treatment adherence and the fluctuating nature of the
condition.
- People living with HIV who are homeless, or at risk of
homelessness, should always be considered ‘vulnerable’ and should
qualify for emergency support and be awarded the appropriate
priority on the housing register, regardless of their current
health.
- People living with HIV should only be housed in shared
accommodation as an emergency and not for longer than six
weeks.